Agenda and minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2 of the Access to Information Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded)

(*In accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting)

There were no appeals.

There were no exempt items.

There were no late items.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

Members did not declare any interests at the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr A Lamb, Cllr R Finnigan and Cllr E Taylor with Cllr A Maloney substituting for Cllr E Taylor.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on the 1^st November 2022 as a correct record.

RESOLVED-  That the minutes of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on the 1^st of November 2022 be approved as an accurate record.

The Head of Strategic Planning and Group Manager for Policy and Plans updated the Panel on the following:

·  Site Allocation Plan (SAP) Remittal -  In response to a request from the Planning Inspectorate examining the SAP remittal, a site at Barrowby Lane in East Leeds that was initially determined for release for employment use will now remain allocated as green belt land. The consultation period regarding this lands use was closed with 110 response received and once a report is submitted from the Planning Inspectorate to the Council, it can adopt the remitted part of the Site Allocations Plan.

·  Local Plan Update 1 (LPU1) initial findings – The formal consultation, closing on the 19^th of December 2022, had received 550 representations, over 400 had been submitted online, 90 via email and 45 young person’s surveys. While a report detailing the full findings of the consultation will be brought back to the Panel at a later stage, the initial findings from the consultation data outlined the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) targets had been met for engagement with young people and responses from every Ward of Leeds, with a 86% positive engagement feedback received. Overall strong support of the proposed policies was noted. A small number of objections raised concerns of the separation of LPU1 and Leeds Local Plan 2040 (LLP2040), viability and feasibility of the industry to respond, seeking further flexibility for carbon targets, further consideration of bird migration routes, Environment Agency request for amendments to the strategic flood risk assessment, clarity regarding food strategies, green space quality for smaller sites, twenty minute neighbourhood methodology, drive thru policy, design policy terminology, building regulations for digital connectivity overtaking LPU1 policy. The next steps will be to continue analysing representations, consideration for updating the evidence base and bringing a full consultation review and potential amendments back to the Panel.

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on the Leeds Local Plan setting out the scope for the second review of the Plan, seeking to ensure that it is kept up to date and relevant to the needs of the District.

The report of the Chief Planning Officer presented Members with the Leeds Local Plan, setting out the scope for the second review of the Plan, sought to ensure that it is kept up to date and relevant to the needs of the District.

The Team Leader (Sites & Policies), Policy and Plans from City Development, provided the Panel with an overview of the Leeds Local Plan Review, noting, this was the second review of the plan, it is comprised of 228 policies. A review of the policies every 5 years is a legal obligation. The focus of this review was on the Aire Valley Area Action Plan (AVLAAP) and also provides the opportunity to consider any implications in light of changes to National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2021. Policies from Core Strategy 2014, Natural Resources and Waste DPD 2013 and UDP review 2006 are all included within the review.  The review robustly and objectively assesses the necessity of updating each policy, it is not the process of update. An update is already underway through the Local Plan Update (Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet) and the scoping work on LLP2040. Plans and policies should be relevant and effective within local circumstances and decision making, which is the driving factor when identifying to what extent an update is required, some may only require the updating of terminology. The summary table assists with identifying the policies that have been brought into the scope of the Local Plan Update - 39 policies have been brought into the scope of LPU1 through the drafting of regulation 19 preferred draft new, amended or superseded policies. 40 policies will be retained and reviewed again in 5 years, and 149 are considered in scope of update. The next review was noted as September 2024, subject to the monitoring of the current and proposed consultations on the NPPF.

The following amendments to the figures in the report were outlined to Panel Members:

·  Page 13, paragraph 9 – There are 149 policies that fall into the scope for update, not 140.

·  Page 24, paragraph 15 – There are 21 AVLAAP policies to be considered for update, not 24.

·  Page 24, paragraph 17 – There are 36 policies affected across the rest of the policies reviewed, not 31.

·  Page 24, paragraph 18 - Covers a potential total of 128 policies, not 126.

·  Page 24, paragraph 19 – There are 36 remaining policies, not 26.

  Members discussed the following key matters:

·  It was confirmed the specifics of policy areas were not up for the Panel to debate with submission of this report, but to outline what is to be reviewed.

·  In response to a question from Members of the Panel it was confirmed that if a consultation response suggests a certain policy should be under review or greater scrutiny, this view will still be considered at the second review stage.

RESOLVED –

a)  That Members comments on the report and the conclusions and recommendations of the 2023 Review of the Local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer setting out consultation material on what should be included in an update to the Leeds Local Plan. This is the second Local Plan Update and will be known as Leeds Local Plan 2040; updating planning policies that require consideration but are not already a part of Local Plan Update 1.

The report of the Chief Planning Officer informed the Development Plan Panel of consultation material that will be included in an update to the Leeds Local Plan. This is the second Local Plan Update and will be known as LLP2040; updating planning policies that require consideration but are not already a part of LPU1. (Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet).

A Principal Planner from Policy and Plans outlined that LLP2040 is the name for Local Plan Update 2. Local Authorities are required to assess whether planning policies are in need of updating at least once every five years, a full Local Plan Policy review was published in 2020 and updated in January 2023. LPU1 is to update policies relating to climate change, LLP2040 will look at other topics and needs of planning policy from 2022 to 2040.

The objectives of the LLP2040 were noted as;

o  To reflect the character, needs and requirements of the diverse places within the District.

o  Evidence shall be based on the most up-to-date data for a wide range of needs.

o  To enable the right amount of development, of the right type and quality, to come forward in the right places.

o  To streamline and simplify the Local Plan for Leeds, making it easier to use and understand.

o  To be consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance.

The consultation was noted to be in its earliest stage and the timetable for the process will be;

o  Initial research on scope and main issues.

o  Consult on the proposed scope to create a headline list of topics.

o  Develop evidence base and policy options, along with the call for sites work.

o  Consult on topics, giving weight to evidence and potential options.

o  Consult on the publication draft.

o  Submission to the Secretary of State.

o  Examination in public.

o  Adoption of the plan.

The formal regulation 18 consultation period will be from the 10^th of February to the 24^th of March 2023, initiating the conversation with the public and relevant stakeholders and engaging with communities after the six weeks. The seven broad topic areas proposed as the overview of the potential scope are spatial strategy, housing, economic development, the role of City and local centres, minerals and waste, transport and connectivity and other policy areas. The consultation material will focus on two key documents, the scoping consultation document and sustainability appraisal scoping report. A summary document, to allow the information to be accessible and inclusive with less planning jargon will be provided, with visually engaging infographics also available. A website has been developed to support the consultation with subpages for each topic and videos explaining proposals; a response survey has been developed with letters and emails also being accepted responses. Initial views or additional suggestions for the topic areas are sought, with the survey being flexible with options for the amount questions to answer. A ‘call for sites’ online tool will be utilised to enable people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as Tuesday, 28^th February 2023 at 1:30pm.

RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Tuesday, 28^th February 2023 at 1:30pm.